Social welfare for older persons in Thailand: policy and recommendation

Abstract

Social welfare is an essential service system for older persons in Thailand, especially when Thailand has become an "Aging Society". Knoeledge on social welfare for older persons enables nurses to provide high quality of care for older persons. This descriptive study aimed to explore the perceptions of key stakeholders about the factors contributing to success and the barriers to the current social welfare system for older persons in Thailand. A total sample of 45 from snowball sampling included 30 key informants from various sectors (government, private sector, and non-government organization). 10 Thai older persons, and 5 community leaders from 4 main parts of Thailand. Data collection included in-depht interview and stakeholder meeting. Interview guideline and main issues for public meeting were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the factors contributing to success of social welfare for older persons in Thailand included self-reliance, updated data, and community participation. The barriers to social welfare for older persons were the implementation of the policies, lack of integration in practices, the administration of the community saving fund, an accessibility to health services. Recommendations for policy makers and practitioners for developing a suitable social welfare system for older persons in Thailand include planning for income security, promoting self-reliance, improving social welfare for older persons health, and supporting well-being and dignity of older persons.